By the end of July, Chipotle will add tofu to its menu. The Chipotle restaurants on the West Coast will offer a tofu option, called "Sofritas," for burritos, tacos, burritos bowls and salads.
"We're expanding the Sofritas test to include our restaurants in the Pacific Northwest this month, and we're considering additional markets this fall, when we expect additional supply to become available to our tofu," Steve Ells, Chipotle founder and co-chief executive officer, said during a recent earnings call, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
Chipotle expanded the tofu experiments to all of California. According to reports, Sofritas now account 5 percent of sales in the state. The company is encouraging restaurants that typically sever meat to try tofu. This would decrease a market filled with herbivores.
Tofu sales in 2011 were $225 million, down from $258 million in 2008, according to data from Soyatech.
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the company began testing Sofritas (shredded Tofu braised with chipotle chills, roasted and a blend of aromatic spices), in February. The organic tofu is made by California's Hodo Soy.
According to the article a reviewer compared the taste to scrambled eggs in "a tomatoes rancheros-like sauce."
Jack Hartung, chief financial officer, believes changing it up will attract "more people who might not have though about eating at fast-food restaurants who might be vegan, or vegetarian, or just health-conscious in general" to try the new item.
"This isn't your typical tofu dish," spokeswoman Danielle Winslow said in an email, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. "The idea is to create dishes that would be good enough to have crossover appeal as well."
